Why Wendy Broke Her Marriage Vow

Her mother's death led TV's funny-girl
Wendy Richard into a disastrous marriage. Wendy, the busty Miss
Brahms in Are You Being Served? was worried about taking over her mum's
hotel opposite St. Pancreas station in London.

She rushed into marriage with businessman and former music
publisher Len Black. It lasted just five months.
"I married in haste," admits Wendy,
36. "I needed somebody to lean on at
the time. I vowed after the divorce, never again!" And the hotel venture didn't last, either . . . Wendy
eventually sold the business.

Then she fell in love with Will Thorpe, who was busy directing TV
commercials. At first she was wary. She says: "Our relationship was very
on-off."

Wendy -- Middlesbrough-born, despite her Cockney image -- and
Will lived together for about six years. But last year -- on Leap year's Day -- it was Wendy who popped
the question to Will, 39.

Will has two children from his first marriage. Wendy dotes
on them, although they live with Will's former wife. She says: "I don't think I can
afford to have children of my own. I've never made a fortune
out of show-business, and I need to keep working."

Wendy seems to have been dogged by had luck when it comes to
money. When she was 18, she made a record called
Come Outside with pop singer Mike
Sarne. The disc sold over 500, 000 copies, but Wendy picked up only
£15
for it.

In 1971, she won rave notices for her cameo role in Gumshoe, her first film
part. "But my agent just didn't push my career
at all," she recalls. "People were
tipping me for movie stardom, and I was really excited about the future.
But it didn't work out."

Wendy has only made a few films since then, including the screen
version of Are You Being Served? and a couple of the
Carry On series. Still, Wendy has rarely been out of TV
work, and a new series of the popular BBC department store comedy
starts shooting in the spring.

And the future? "Over the next
10 years, I would like to be known as a good character actress -- I
expect mostly in comedy."